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Id report them to animal control. There cant be double standards here. If a pitbull attacked his dog people would be screaming about you not having it fenced and under control.
Please take your pup to the vet. My dog was attacked by a bulldog in his own yard and I was right there with him. He was injured trying to get to me. I felt horrible but the injury to Spot's back leg didn't look all that bad. I washed it and put antibiotics on it. Well dog bites can be quite septic and Spot became infected. He ended up having surgery and drains. He stayed at the vet for several days. To the tune of $700.00. It will be cheap insurance to take the dog in now!
Spot is fine now and I'm sure your pup will be OK too!
I agree that there should be some documentation of the incident.
I carry pepper spray with me whenever I go walking. You can get it at Wal Mart, Target, or pretty much any place that carries supplies for joggers or cyclists. Mine is on one of those wrist coils. Any aggressive dog that gets close enough for me to spray is going to get a full blast in the face. I have done it twice. Both times the owners of the other dogs realized that they were in the wrong.
Pepper spray is uncomfortable for the dog, but will not do any lasting damage.
In the last neighborhood I had problems with people NOT controlling their dogs...two of them got relocated to the NON kill shelter in the next town...the owners made no attemtp to keep them home, out of my yard, tearing up my property...
I am so mad FOR you...I would start being the squeaky wheel with Animal Control AND the police if you feel their lack of controlling these dogs poses a real safety problem.
I had to do that as well, we had a guy who had two dogs who made our lives a living hell on that street...the UPS man and FedEx man hated coming there because they were routinely attacked by these dogs. I was a new Mother and was affraid to leave my house...
In Texas if its on MY property, threatening MY and MY daughters safety...its a dead dog walkin...their dogs came to my front door one time and tried to run in my house to attack me...I was beyond frightened...
I kept calling the Sheriffs department everytime the dog was a problem, they were sick of hearing from me...but as I pointed out to them, I had a right to walk down the street with my baby in her baby carriage and my small bite sized Cavalier King Charles Spaniels...AND I was not able to do this because this man didn't have the courtesy to keep his dogs contained...
Since you live close to him, I would break out the video camera...
We have a guy here in this neighborhood who has three wonderful but boisterous dogs, one is a golden, one a yellow lab and one a chocolate lab...it is not only against city regulations to let them free its against HOA rules as well but yet he does it anyway...the other day one of them jumped on my daughter and scratched her back, it looked like someone had taken a whip to her back...I don't know what posesses some people...
I have always felt that the fact that I have chosen to have cats and dogs should never impact someone elses life, unless your in my house...even then, I make a point of NOT allowing them to run crazy over people who visit unless I know your an animal lover...
After reading more of the comments, I agree - hit 'em hard.
My original thought was two-fold - you still have to live across from this neighbor, and maybe they are decent but stupid people who just needed a serious talking to and you can all still live in harmony.
I figured the chances were good that you'd get some flack from them, so it was likely that you'd have to call the police anyway.
But really, even if they complied and started keeping their dogs under control (fenced in yard or leash), chances are good that they'll slack off after a while.
It seems to almost be a macho-thing, these people that allow their dogs loose in their front yard, it's almost like a way they show off their dominance over their dogs "Oh, he's under my control simply by voice" - that kind of delusion.
Yes, excellent point earlier about documenting the loose dogs with video or photos, but in most states now, I think your and your husband's statements will suffice to get the ball rolling.
I just want to clairify that my dog (the one that got attacked) was the American Pit Bull Terrier. My neighbors have a "pit bull" and two mix breed dogs (they look like lab/ shepherd mix mabey), but the dog that attacked my american pit bull terrier was not their "pit bull", it was one of the lab/ shepherd mix dogs.
I'd also get some kind of documentation if I were you. Mostly because of all the pit bull hate / fear out there in the media and among what seems more and more to be the general population (people who fear dogs, in general).. Reason is this: What if it happens again, and your dog ends up seriously hurting or killing the unleashed dog? Even though your dog will have done nothing, absolutely nothing to cause the incident, it could be the beginning of media/neighborhood hysteria toward you and your dogs - - and could even have negative results for your dog who is involved in the incident. Because let's face it: Bullys, Dobes, Rotts, and the like never get to be just dogs; they are always accused of the worst, even when they are just being dogs. (I did an adoption some years back of a very beloved pitbull of the organization; he was such a gem! Beautiful, playful, affectionate, and stable. Two days later, people brought him back because he was growling while he played. Okay . . . playful dogs do tend to "talk" during play, but he couldn't . . . because he was a pitbull. Do you see where I'm going with this?)
I wouldn't want to be having to prove the innocence of my dog after the fact. I know it's not fair, but you know how people are about the breed, and you cannot afford to let this go and have it possibly recur or escalate. Next time, it could be much worse. Next time, there could be vet bills involved. Why should you have that expense when you are being responsible? And what is to stop your neighbor from trying to get you to pay for a vet bill - - even though they are at fault? I hate to sound negative, but you know how people can be. It is best to get a paper trail going now. Plus, you and your dogs - and everyone else in that neighborhood - have a right to go outside and enjoy a walk without being assaulted by wandering dogs.
Please do something now to protect your dogs and yourself . . . and to ensure the future reputation of this breed.
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